Originally Posted by
init4fun
Exactly .
At the risk of sounding like a skipping record , I'll say it again ;
If only about 10% of AMA members vote in AMA elections , I'd say that means for about 90% of the membership , the AMA is nothing more than an insurance policy so they can fly at the local club field .
BINGO!
When I was just a noob in this hobby, I kept my mouth shut and listened and watched and learned from those who were willing to share their skills and experiences with me. Early on, I was told how important the AMA membership was, not only for the insurance, but because they had fought to protect our RF frequencies and that they advocated for modelers in many different arenas. I've always trusted the AMA to have the best interest of their members as their primary concern and never questioned it until the drone issue started. I realized that as an AMA member for decades, I had never bothered to vote in elections, nor was the AMA discussed at my club meetings. So, after decades of being an AMA member and being very active in my local club(s), holding various offices, hosting fly-ins, editing the club newsletter, becoming a proficient builder and flyer, I realized that I had only really viewed the AMA as an "insurance policy". That is when I realized that I was invested in this hobby to the tune of many years and countless tens of thousands of dollars, and that collectively, the AMA was in trouble.
As I have become more involved in these forums, it has become clear that there are pretty much two types of AMA members; the 10% or so who actively engage in and run the AMA, and the 90% who pay their dues for the insurance. It is no different than AMA clubs at a local level; 10% do all the work, the other 90% just want to fly. This model lends itself perfectly to the, "Good Ole Boy Club" syndrome that runs rampant in just about EVERY club I have been involved with, as well as at the AMA HQ.
I have found those that cast dispersion on my posts do so because they are very much a part of the Good Ole Boy Club, and desperately try to avoid the curtain from being torn down and being exposed as the man behind the curtain.
Argue all you want, but the facts don't lie. And I refuse to stop searching for, and believing in the truth, no matter how many names I am called!
Astro